Lever for pianolas and like instruments.



W. GERVAIS.

LEVER 1'01; PIANOLAS AND LIKE INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED MAB. 4, 1910.

1,010,249. Patented Nov. 28, 1911.

(IWENTOR' Mam 6'6/7/016' ATTORNEYS WLADIMIR GERVAIS,

OF ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA.

LEVER FOR IIANOLAS AND LIKE INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 4, 1910.

T 0 (all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VLADIMIR Gnnvnrs, subject of the Emperor of Russia,and a resident of St. Petersburg, Russia, lieutenant-colonel of RussianArmy, have invented a new and useful improvement in levers for pianolasand like instruments, giving strokes on the keys similar to thoseeffected by the fingers of a pianist, of which the following is aspecification.

The striking levers of the existing types of pianolas and the likemechanical instru ments, represent crude systems which cannot give thestrokes of the keys that special touch, which is peculiar to the humanhand. This drawback, notwithstanding all the improvements, cannot placepianolas and the like instruments on a level with the technical art of ahuman being.

My invention has for its object to avoid this drawback almost entirely.

On the annexed drawings Figure 1 represents a side elevation of oneembodiment of my invention and Fig. 2 a similar View of a secondembodiment thereof.

My improvement consists of the followingz't-he lever A between the axle1 and the striking part 2 is out apart and both its parts are connectedtogether by a resilient device, consisting either of spring 3 (Fig. 1)or a system of springs 3 (Fig. 2). Besides this, in order to attainvarious shades of the stroke, the slide 4 affords a means to in- Copiesof this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing theCommissioner of Patents,

Patented Nov. 28, 1911.

Serial No. 547,276.

crease the stroke and give the whole system greater elasticity on themovement of the slide in the direction of the striking part of the leverand reduce the stroke on the movement of the slide in the reversedirection. In both cases of the movement of the slide 4 the pin 5 on thestriking part of the lever A is retained by the horns 6 or 6 and therebyreduces the elasticity of the stroke. In the central position of theslide 4 the pin 5 passes freely between the horns 6 and 6 and a veryelastic stroke on the keys is attained, which altogether corresponds tothe finger of a human being. Besides this a rubber ball 7 is placedbetween the key packing 8 and the head of lever A with the object ofincreasing the softness in the striking part of the lever.

Vhat I claim is:

In a pianola or like mechanical musical instruments, a combination of aresilient key lever, consisting of two parts, connected by one or moresprings, with a slide, overlapping the parts of said lever and havingtwo horns, and a pin, fixed. to the one part of the lever and retainedby the horns.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

l/VLADIMIR GERVAIS. Vitnesses H. A. LovIAGUINn, A. N. TSOHENSLOFF.

Washington, D. C.

